[Thomas Pineda]

Thinking about some guiding questions for this subtopic, I thought it would be interesting for students to research ‘how do cultures adapt to changing landscapes and climates over time?’ The example presented during our session was interesting because of the lack of historical records. But using remnants of objects of Jomon period habitants and combining it with the natural history of the forest composition gives clues to fill in that prehistorical time period.

[Thomas Pineda]

I'd definitely appreciate bouncing some ideas around. The reading from Gina Barnes (Japan's Natural Setting) has a great section specifically tied to Japan's forests on page 8-10. In our Next Generation Science Standards, there is an increased emphasis on sustainability and human impact on environment. The reading mentions specific measures taken to preserve their forests as far back as the mid-1500s. It would be interestingto note the concept of environmental stewardship in different times and cultures. 

[Thomas Pineda]

More and more I enjoy integrating these historical topics into Science classes, and the aspect of the changing environment and migration of these prehistoric groups. It’s amazing how much prehistorical evidence, in terms of migration, can be found that coincides with these climate changes over huge periods of time. It is probably a pretty busy time in terms of these discoveries as more construction and expansion leads to more archaeological findings. 

[Thomas Pineda]

This is a fascinating period of history that I’ve never learned much about. It is interesting to learn about these cultures through their remnants and materials. From the podcast, hearing about the introduction of pottery and the change that would cause in lifestyle and diets is something I’ve never thought of, having these items that allowed the cooking of food. Another really interesting use of ‘technology’ that may have been observed on the dogū figures are the snow goggles that I had to look up as well.

[Thomas Pineda]

Hi! My name is Thomas Pineda and I am a Math & Science teacher for 6th grade near San Francisco, CA. I've been teaching Math & Science for about 8 years now, and have had experience teaching English abroad in South Korea, which also gave me many opportunities to travel and explore other parts of Asia. Aside from my experience living in Asia, a lot of my interest in learning more about these cultures is because my 6th grade students also learn Ancient history in their grade and I like to tie the concepts together when possible (History & science or math). Looking forward to learning more!

[Thomas Pineda]

 This seminar covered so much ground in terms of time and also places. It will be helpful for my 6th grade Science courses and our studies of the Next Generation Science Standards. One particular standard that I find engages students is MS-ESS-3-3 “Apply Scientific principles to design method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment” and MS-ESS-3-4 “Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.” Both of these can be studied in the various countries or events that were presented during the seminar. 

 Two of the examples of locations I would use for class would be the Yellow River in China and the Demilitarized Zone in Korea. While presenting before and after maps or a timeline of the human developments around the river, students can see how the river’s path had changed over time. From there, I would have students research what impacts this had on the environment and flora and fauna in the area. In terms of the opposite effect, I would have them examine the DMZ in between North & South Korea and give them some background about the political history of the area. From there, they could research the changes to the natural environment over time due to the lack of human population and impact. (MS-ESS-3-4) 

  Another thing I would like to introduce them to is the use of Ukiyo-E paintings as wrapping paper and then their subsequent popularity. This type of reuse could potentially lessen the impact on the environment and I would have students look for other possible avenues of reusing or reducing the amount of consumption. Some of this re-use could be in the form of art projects that encourage people to think about the rate of consumption of natural resources. (MS-ESS-3-3)

 

[Thomas Pineda]

As a quick hack that might help you (sorry National Geographic ), but you can try opening the link and quickly pressing the "Print" button on your browser - from there you can save it as a PDF and read it. You have to do this before the "Subscribe" pop-up shows, and unfortunately there's no picutres, but at least you can check out the article this way. 
Anyways, as a science teacher who happens to have a lot of students interested in Japan (must be their love of anime), I think it would be great to compare our state CA to Japan in terms of seismic similarities and the way our cities are engineered. A standard we cover has to do with plate tectonics and this would be a great way to tie in Japan.

[Thomas Pineda]

Thank you both for the ideas. I definitely used the two choices as a "This or That" activity- but wasn't ready with a unit to tie it all back to Asia when I presented it to students. So I went with the 'alien visitor', but thank you for reminding me of how role playing could be applied to these kind of activities and discussions. I'm sure I'll think of another topic of discussion where students can research two different sides to debate about.

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[Thomas Pineda]

Thank you for that tidbit of info. I'm not sure if that came up and I forgot about it, but now I feel the urge to have a scavenger hunt at the next zen garden I visit. I'm sure searching around for those items probably takes away from the purpose of the garden, but also, finding out the meaning of each element would help deepen my understanding of their designs I'm sure. Luckily, we're fortunate enough to live in a state where these kinds of gardens can locally be found. 

[Thomas Pineda]

I greatly appreciate the feedback. I teach math and science, so I have little background historical knowledge but happened to be a little familiar with South Korea. However, I completely overlooked the symbolism of the crane itself in the story and I'm glad you gave me that insight and perspective to add. It would definitely add more depth to the analysis of the story and I wonder what other symbolical animals students would mention in discussion from their own cultures.

[Thomas Pineda]

This was an artpiece at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco that I thought would also be related to these kind of projects: https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/jean-shin-pause/    She designed it out of old cell phones and cords and it relates to other kinds of items that often fail to get recycled, e-waste. While our students may notice things like bottles and bags and they are important waste items that can be reduced in use, this time now in distance learning, I wonder how their use of electronics has changed. Have they had to get more devices to serve everyone in their houses? Or has there been increased use of screens and therefore shortened the lifespan of these devices as well? I this would be another interesting avenue to explore in terms of sustainability that could possibly tie back to art. 

[Thomas Pineda]

Thank you Khrystle for coming up with this idea, and also thank you to Lizbeth for commenting on it recently. I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier, but that is a great idea and something I would expand to lessons in my Science class. Having two kinds of images to compare and using them as a discussion before introducing the material would definitely engage students (especially with weapons). But I can see how this would come in handy in my Science class as a way to compare two natural phenomenon and finding and commenting on the visual evidence.

[Thomas Pineda]

Originally I was thinking of having a 'for fun' unit or STEM-related project for my 6th graders to come up with inventions that could solve labor shortage issues as the ones presented in Japan. But I appreciate your perspective of also having students examine these issues in our home country with its unemployment issues. Rather than just continually looking outward and just using Japanese examples of mechanised labor, I think I'll try and find more examples used in the US. Looking for what industries here currently use machine labor and then comparing it to Japan would be another way to add depth to this invention project. I also like your idea of surveying students on their opinions on machine labor. It would be an interesting debate that students could also research- whether more machine labor creates jobs to maintain them, or if it improves the quality of life for workers in certain industries, and the impact on the number of jobs.

[Thomas Pineda]

Along with what Khrystle was saying, this was a very interesting documentary I shared with a Science class that deals with how unfair practices have affected Californians (National Geographic's "Water & Power: A Californian Heist"). It was something I never realized before and hits very close to home as a resident in CA. It was definitely a good jump off points for different things to research and fact check. It also made my students wonder what other industries or environmental issues are created by greed and human impact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2_EmpQNvG4

[Thomas Pineda]

Based on your mention of this film and other recommendations from friends (and that my partner and I both like Awkwafina), I decided to check it out and I highly recommend it as well!!  It's on Amazon prime if you have that service. Definitely check it out- it shows some funny, but sentimental ways Eastern v Western cultures makes choices within families. I think students could relate to the issue that it presents. 

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